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Wrinkle treatment: When you don't want a face-lift Time and sun have etched lines in your skin. Some days you tell yourself there's character in your face. Other days, it seems more like age. A face-lift, you've decided, just isn't for you. So what's left? Here's a look at the latest on treating aging skin. A wrinkle in timeDo you have fond memories of lying in the sun cultivating your tan? You can thank that misguided activity for most of the lines on your face. Sun exposure markedly accelerates the aging process. If you smoke, you also can blame that for adding to the furrows in your brow and the lines around your lips. With aging, your skin becomes thinner. Oil-producing glands become less active, and your skin becomes dry and rough. The number of blood vessels in your skin decreases, but the remaining vessels may be more dilated and may therefore become more visible. Your dermis, which lies right under the top layer of your skin, may thin and become more fragile, causing easily bruised skin. If that weren't enough, your skin replaces old cells more slowly, and cells repair themselves less effectively. Pigment (melanin) production is less uniform, causing irregular brown discoloration, and collagen and elastin two fibrous proteins that keep your skin taut start to diminish, contributing to wrinkling and sagging. Collectively, this may cause many things, including:
Botox injectionsThese days, many people seeking to reduce the appearance of wrinkles opt for injections of botulinum toxin type A (Botox). In fact, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 850,000 people had Botox injections in 2001. When injected into the skin, Botox temporarily paralyzes the facial muscles around the wrinkles, causing the wrinkles to disappear. Botox may be most beneficial for frown lines, which appear on your forehead and between your eyebrows, and the tiny wrinkles in the corners of your eyes (crow's-feet). The procedure isn't lengthy it usually lasts about 15 minutes. A thin needle is used to inject the Botox into your wrinkles. The injection may be somewhat painful. You may see initial results from the injection within a few days of the procedure full results will appear within 2 weeks. Side effects of the injections include headache, pain at the injection site, redness and muscle weakness. In rare instances your eyebrows may droop temporary. The results of Botox injections aren't permanent you may need follow-up injections every 3 or 4 months. Without follow-up injections, your wrinkles may slowly return. Each injection of Botox may cost between $300 and $1,000. Botox parties held at spas, hair salons and people's homes have been widely publicized. At these events, Botox injections are given to guests in a casual, festive atmosphere. Appetizers and sometimes alcoholic beverages are served. Botox injections should be administered by a qualified doctor at a medical facility. Botox injection is a medical procedure which should be done in a setting suitable for managing possible unexpected reactions.
Tissue augmentationAnother way to help improve wrinkles is soft tissue augmentation. During soft tissue augmentation, a wrinkle-fighting substance is injected deep into the bothersome area. Different kinds of soft tissue augmentation include: Collagen injection. Collagen from cattle or fat from your thigh or abdomen is injected into deep wrinkles on your face. The injected collagen smoothes out wrinkles and fills in furrows, such as those around your nose and mouth and between your eyebrows. The collagen degrades over several months but may trigger your body to produce new collagen. Because collagen degrades, you may need to repeat the procedure every few months. Around 3 percent of people are allergic to collagen that comes from cattle. To determine if you are allergic to collagen, your doctor will perform skin tests before beginning the injection procedure. If you're allergic to cattle collagen, you won't be able to receive cattle collagen injections. Collagen injection usually takes about 20 minutes. After cleaning the skin and administering a local anesthetic, the doctor will remove fat from your thigh or abdomen with a thin needle. The fat or cattle collagen is then injected into the troublesome wrinkles. Pain associated with the procedure is relatively minimal, as are side effects, which may include redness and slight swelling around the injection area. You'll likely see results from the injections almost immediately. The cost of collagen injection varies depending on the deepness of your wrinkles and can range anywhere from $300 to $1,000. Fibrel injections. Fibrel consists of a freeze-dried gelatin derived from pig connective tissue mixed with your blood plasma and a chemical to encourage the formation of new collagen. Although allergic reactions are fairly uncommon, skin testing before treatment is still necessary. The procedure usually lasts about 30 minutes. A thin needle is used to inject Fibrel at several points along the site that's being treated. A local anesthetic may be used, as the injections can be painful. After the procedure, you may experience moderate pain, swelling, redness and bruising. These side effects usually subside in a few days. The benefits of Fibrel injections can last anywhere from 8 months to 2 years. The cost of each Fibrel injection is around $500. Hyaluronic acid gel (Restylane). When injected into your facial tissue as a gel, hyaluronic acid a substance your body produces naturally binds to water molecules in your skin. This temporarily increases volume, which helps fill in and reduce wrinkles, particularly around your nose and mouth. The results last about six months. Research suggests that these injections require less filler than collagen injections and that the results last longer. Because the gel is derived from human tissue, the risk of allergic reaction is low. You may experience mild to moderate side effects including redness, swelling, bruising, pain, tenderness and itching which typically resolve within a week. Microlipoinjection. During microlipoinjection, also known as fat transfer, fat that's taken from another part of your body is injected into deep wrinkles. Because the fat is from your own body, allergic reactions aren't a concern. Wrinkles in the areas around your mouth, eyes and chin may benefit from microlipoinjection. The procedure differs from collagen injection in that much smaller amounts of fat are injected. Microlipoinjection can take up to 2 hours. After cleaning the skin and administering a local anesthetic, your doctor will remove small amounts of fat from the donor site. Afterward, a small needle is used to inject the fat into the wrinkles. After the procedure you may experience moderate swelling, soreness and bruising. You will likely see results from the injections almost immediately. Improvement that's derived from microlipoinjections may last for several months or even years. The cost of microlipoinjection varies depending on the extent of the procedure, but may cost around $1,000.
Choosing a procedureBefore choosing a wrinkle-reducing procedure, you may want to consider the following:
Your doctor will help answer any questions you may have and will work with you to determine which procedure is right for you.
Other wrinkle-reducersDespite the hype about antioxidant creams and topical vitamins, there's little evidence they improve your skin. What does help is tretinoin (Avita, Retin-A), a prescription cream containing retinoic acid, a synthetic derivative of vitamin A. It's not a miracle drug, but it has been shown to improve fine wrinkling, roughness and pigment changes in mildly to moderately affected skin. Originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of acne, tretinoin sloughs off the dead outer layers of your skin, exposes the skin underneath and causes collagen to reaccumulate, which thickens the skin fibers that preserve moisture. Tretinoin also helps cells mature more normally, reducing the number of sun-damaged cells in your epidermis. The FDA has approved a 0.05 percent formula in a prescription cream (Renova) for treating sun damage. Also widely hyped are alpha hydroxy acids. They're less irritating than tretinoin but don't penetrate as deeply. Be aware that it's the prescription creams that have been found effective. The dab of alpha hydroxy acids in over-the-counter moisturizers and facial treatments may not make much difference to your skin. Smooth move If you're serious about wanting to reduce the appearance of facial lines, see your dermatologist. To prevent further damage:
Warning Signs of Mental Illness
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Dry, rough skin 